Columbus ready to roll out new gunfire-detection system

COLUMBUS (AP) — Ohio’s capital city is preparing to roll out a new gunshot-detection system to alert officers to gunfire.

Columbus city officials stressed during a demonstration Tuesday that the web-based technology won’t replace the need for residents who hear gunshots to call 911. The Columbus Dispatch reports the California-based company running the ShotSpotter system will record gunshots and alert officers to where they originated.

Officers will get an alert on their cruiser computer terminals within a minute of shots being fired. Specialists monitoring the system in California will use technology to confirm the sound is gunfire before alerting police.

Columbus Police Deputy Chief Richard Bash says the system will always be recording, but the city will only receive recordings of gunshots.